Unique Bouquet Ideas and Flowers for Men

Even if you are an expert on potted plants or flowering shrubs, you probably don't have much daily contact with bouquets and boutonnieres. Don't worry: We've illustrated and explained the four most popular types of bouquets, plus collected some great ideas for unique and unusual bouquets. And, lest the men feel neglected, we've also included details about wedding flowers for men.

The bride's flowers should complement the style of her gown or dress, as well as her personality and the style of the wedding. Wedding bouquets can be described by the shape and by the style of flowers.


Cascade
Like a waterfall, this bouquet flows downward and may have a blossom or two suspended by its own stem or on a ribbon. This is the most traditional shape for bridal bouquets, used with a full-skirted or elaborate ball-gown-style wedding dress.


Presentation bouquet
Think of the roses carried by Miss America along her left arm as she waves with her right. This can be as simple or as elaborate as you wish but should not be longer than what can fit comfortably, with some spillover, along the length of your lower arm.


Round cluster bouquet or oversized nosegay
This may have a ruff of lace or tulle behind it and can be made of one type of flower or a mixture. A favorite is a tight round cluster or roses, or roses and peonies, with a few other flowers and minimal greens.


Loose-tied bouquet
This is made up of a variety of flowers chosen to go with the gown and wedding style. They are arranged as if just picked from the garden and are tied with ribbon or a combination of ribbon and lace.


The following unique bouquet ideas may help you design a bouquet that is not one of those cookie-cutter, catalog bouquets.

How about:

Two dozen of the palest peach tulips arranged with white, French, double-flowering lilacs in a combination of loose-tied and presentation bouquet styles. Have the florist leave the stems showing, but construct the bouquet to fit in the crook of your arm.

A wildflower bouquet with loads of Queen Anne's lace, a few full-blown pink roses and wild-looking garden flowers in blue, yellow and white. Although such a bouquet can look completely unstructured, some of the more fragile flowers will have to be wired and taped so they won't droop.

A "wand" -- a single Calla lily wrapped in silk ribbon.

An extravagant, multicolored bouquet with several dozen of the palest peach roses and at least 100 stems of wildflowers in every shade of rose and white, carefully wired, taped and arranged in a cascade-style bouquet.

An almost round, tightly arranged bunch of the palest pink roses and peonies complemented by a simple, contemporary silk dress. Don't use greens, just dozens of thin silk ribbons in shades of pink, white and off-white cascades from the nosegay.


Boutonnieres are customary for the bridegroom, his attendants and ushers, as well as for fathers, grandfathers and honored guests. Expect to pay somewhere between $4 and $20 for each boutonniere, depending on the type of flowers used and the labor.

The boutonnieres need not match each other, and it is often more interesting when they do not. The groom's should be distinctive, similar in style to the flowers used throughout the wedding, or can duplicate a bloom in the bride's bouquet.

Boutonnieres should not be overly elaborate. Roses, stephanotis and small orchids are commonly used. Lilies of the Valley were once traditional but are seldom seen today because of their fragility and limited availability.